We all use math everyday

by AJ
(Baltimore, MD)

People don't realize how often math comes up on a daily basis. Not just by making calculations but logical reasoning. I was in a map analysis class and we had to make a topographic map. All the students were struggling to find the distance across a parking lot that was filled with cars. But with simple trigonometry, our group found the distance in 15 minutes that later found out took the rest of the class 3 hours to measure.

Barry's Response - Yes, as you point out, AJ, there are all kinds of tricks of the trade. At least I refer to it as a trade because I work with maps almost everyday at work.

These days, I find it quite useful to do most of my work using Google Earth. With it you can use the little ruler icon to make measurements on the screen, in whichever units of measure you choose. Plus that tool provides you the angles of measurement in degrees relative to true north.

It always gave you the ability to read elevations directly off the map; just look below the display window. Did you know that it can be used to convert latitude/longitude from decimal-degree to degree-minute-second format, and even to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) in seconds?
Select tools > options and the "general" tab.

Take note of the other functions and features available to you there. A surprising suite of tools. I haven't even used them all yet. Google Maps gives you access to view terrain plots for the immediate area if that's what you need, an both now allow you to use street view to view ground-level photographs of the area.

Lots o'fun indeed.

Search this site for more information now.

How to Measure up Without Losing Your Sanity

It was one of those gloriously sunny afternoons that filled everyone with hope, except for the group of students sweating over their topographic map project. The task was simple, on paper at least—measure the distance across a parking lot. A parking lot full of cars. And bicycles. And, suspiciously, a horse. Naturally.

Now, most of the class had chosen the traditional method: squinting at maps, dragging long tape measures across sun-baked asphalt, and getting yelled at by the parking lot security guard (who was quite protective of the horse, for reasons no one could explain). Hours passed, tempers flared, and someone was genuinely contemplating a career change to mime artistry.

Meanwhile, AJ and his group sat coolly under a tree, smirking like people who knew something others didn’t. And they did. Trigonometry. That quiet, reliable friend in mathematics that always seemed boring until, in a flash of genius, it saved you three hours of unnecessary effort. In 15 minutes flat, they had calculated the distance using nothing but some angles, a calculator, and a weirdly specific knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem.

Three hours later, the rest of the class stood blinking in disbelief as AJ’s group presented their numbers without a bead of sweat on their brows. One student, still clutching a 300-foot-long tape measure in defeat, muttered something about witchcraft.

But the real magic, dear reader, wasn’t witchcraft at all. It was technology. Enter Barry, an unassuming cartographer by trade (a title that makes you sound far more adventurous than it is). Barry, who spends his days battling the unruly forces of geography armed with nothing but Google Earth. Yes, Google Earth, the unsung hero of modern cartography—a tool that does for measuring distances what pizza delivery does for the human soul.

“I don’t even bother with tape measures anymore,” Barry explained in a tone one might reserve for discussing a favorite old movie or a particularly well-aged cheese. “You just click that little ruler icon on Google Earth, and it measures everything for you. Distances, angles, elevations—it even tells you which way is north! I’ve never been so impressed by something that’s completely free.”

The students, of course, were riveted. Not by Barry’s explanation, but by the thought that they could have been measuring parking lots from the comfort of their couch this whole time. AJ, smirking again, asked Barry if there was anything Google Earth couldn't do.

“Well,” Barry paused thoughtfully, “it won’t cook your breakfast, but it will convert latitude and longitude into Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates in under five seconds. And did I mention it has street view? Yes, street view! It’s like walking down the street, but without all the unpleasantness of actually walking down the street."

AJ’s group was hooked. The rest of the class? Well, they were still recovering from their tape-measure ordeal, but they too were starting to see the light.

Google Earth, it turned out, wasn’t just a tool for procrastinating your way through virtual vacations—it was the ultimate cartographer’s dream, a treasure chest of data and insights, wrapped up in an interface so user-friendly even the horse in the parking lot could probably figure it out. And if Barry’s enthusiasm was anything to go by, there were even more hidden features waiting to be discovered.

Want to know how to measure the surface area of a lake? Curious about elevation changes in a mountain range halfway across the world? Or maybe you just want to find out if your neighbor’s yard is bigger than yours? (Spoiler: It probably isn’t, but Google Earth can tell you for sure.) All the answers are there, waiting for you with just a few clicks.

And so, dear reader, we leave you with a tantalizing question: What are you going to measure next? Sure, you could keep struggling with tape measures and poorly-printed maps, or you could join the ranks of the map-savvy elite—people like AJ, Barry, and, apparently, that horse.

But why stop there? Dive into our treasure trove of map-related brilliance, share it with your friends, or, at the very least, use it to impress your next dinner party by casually mentioning how you calculated the distance from your house to the moon (Google Earth can't technically do that, but we bet you could figure it out). The universe of mapping is vast, and it’s just waiting for you to explore.

And really, who doesn’t want to be the person who measures a parking lot in style?